A side-door window for automotive vehicles and, especially, passenger cars, generally comprises a pane which is movably received in guide rails which accommodate the edges of the window and can be provided with seals engaging the pane at least in the closed condition of the window.
Such systems may be designed so that in the region of the windows, the vehicle has a generally smooth configuration with a minimum of discontinuities.
Notwithstanding such designs, difficulties have been encountered with the air resistance of such vehicles, especially upon travel at elevated speeds. With increasing concern for energy efficiency, attempts have been made to minimize the air resistance by providing the outer surfaces of a passenger car with a smooth transition between the various members. These efforts have led to window designs such that gaps and discontinuities between the window and the frame, between the frame and other portions of the vehicle body or between the pane and the body are minimized.
The individual movable panes of the vehicle are generally received in or used in conjunction with frame structures which at least in part overlie the faces of the pane and can enclose the peripheral edges thereof. Since such systems unavoidably project outwardly (laterally) of the outer face of the window pane, they bring about undesired air resistance, create turbulence which produces noise, or generate unwanted whistling sounds. In sport coupe it is known to provide doors without frames which project from the body of the door so that the window is guided only in the door body and, in the closed position of the door, may cooperate with roof and post structures to bring a relatively smooth exterior surface.
However, when such vehicles travel at high speeds, a slight pressure gradient from the interior to the exterior can develop which can bend the window outwardly and break whatever seal may have been provided between the window and the vehicle body.
In the German patent publication (Offenlegungsschrift) DE-OS No. 24 35 766, there is described a guide arrangement for the window of a side door of a vehicle of the type described previously.
In one embodiment, the periphery of the pane is enclosed while a member extends inclinedly inwardly. A lower shank of the enclosure and a rear shank thereof carry guide rolls which cooperate with guide rails mounted in the door. Each guide rail is bent outwardly at its upper end so that, in the uppermost or closed position, the pane is pressed outwardly and is held against a seal carried by the window frame mounted on the door. While this provides a generally upright outer surface for the vehicle of the body, the assembly is expensive to manufacture and is not always reliable so that it has not found widespread acceptance.